“ | Travelers from four war-torn kingdoms congregate at the edge of a fearsome storm, following a divine invitation emanating from deep within the Ethersea. | ” |
—MaxFun Summary
Ethersea is the sixth and current campaign of The Adventure Zone, and the fourth primary season of the show.
Premise[]
Travelers from four war-torn kingdoms - the Hominine, the Einarr, the Southern Archipelago, and the Delmer - congregate at the edge of a fearsome storm, following a divine invitation emanating from deep within the Ethersea.
The first five episodes of the season form a Prologue, detailing the events leading up to the formation of the city of Founders' Wake in the face of the oncoming storm. These episodes were played using The Quiet Year, a worldbuilding and map-making game by Avery Alder. The maps created by the boys in those episodes can be viewed here.
The subsequent episodes of Ethersea are played using a homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 5e system, informed by the events of the prologue.
Characters[]
Player Characters[]

Fanart of Zoox, Devo, and Amber by @allofthenorth.
NPCs[]
Major NPCs[]
Prologue NPCs[]
Campaign NPCs[]
- Aloysius Supreme
- Ampersand Five
- Ballaster Hermine
- Ballaster Oksana Kodeira
- Brother Seldom
- The Curator
- Felix
- Finneas Cawl
- Hand of Guidance
- Ol' Joshy
- Ravi Montrell
- Shret
- Tessellation
- Urchin
Minor NPCs[]
- Adelaide
- Beck
- Chauncey
- Crumb
- Dolores
- Dr. Shaq
- Emery
- Heretic Knob
- Jeremy
- Mona (Desdemona)
- Nermal
- Skittles
- Teddy
- The Cobalt Star
Antagonists[]
- Guthrie
- Benefactor Orlene
- The Red Squares
- The Auctioneer
- Cambria
Ships[]
- The Biggest Baby
- Dreams of Deborah
- The Coriolis
- The Gut Punch
Rules of Ethersea[]
- Everybody's got a knife.
- There's a hole for that.
- Urchin is never where you need him to be.
- Skunknuts Wine goes through you like an ape.
- Hominines love homonyms.
- Crypto is illegal.
Arcs[]
Prologue[]
The gang plays the Quiet Year and builds the world of Ethersea.
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Prologue I: Our Wasted World | May 6, 2021 | Listen | 1:30:15 |
Travelers from four war-torn kingdoms congregate at the edge of a fearsome storm, following a divine invitation emanating from deep within the Ethersea. Join us as we build our next campaign while playing The Quiet Year, a brilliant mapmaking game designed and written by Avery Alder. | |||
Ethersea — Prologue II: The Cost of Opportunity | May 13, 2021 | Listen | 1:15:03 |
Forgotten relics from the past are unearthed and put to use as the shoreside community continues plotting their undersea departure. | |||
Ethersea - Prologue III: The Comfort of Guilt | May 27, 2021 | Listen | 1:04:12 |
The shoreside community stands divided over their priorities as the storm looms ever closer. | |||
Ethersea — Prologue IV: The Hierarchy of Terror | June 10, 2021 | Listen | 1:09:22 |
New dangers loom over the shoreside community as the rest of the mortal world retreats from the storm. | |||
Ethersea — Prologue V: The Weight of History | June 24, 2021 | Listen | 1:53:51 |
Winter arrives. The shoreside community begins the arduous process of migrating to their new undersea home. A suspiciously dormant kingdom plays its final, cataclysmic hand. Our Prologue draws to a close. |
The Gallery Job[]
The gang tries to get a job with the Blue Span Contractors
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 1 | July 8, 2021 | Listen | 1:25:55 |
A Finner, an Orator, and a Brinarr walk into a bar. Well, first they walk into a job interview, and it doesn't go so great, so THEN they walk into a bar. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 2 | July 22, 2021 | Listen | 1:01:40 |
Three prospective contractors for the Bluespan Brokerage embark on their first, questionable voyage in the waters surrounding Founder’s Wake. A lucrative, outrageously spicy opportunity presents itself along the way. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 3 | August 5, 2021 | Listen | 1:28:07 |
The Gallery Job: Part Three A brief diversion during their first undersea voyage has proven to be far more arduous (and far more dangerous) than our heroes initially expected. A race for the prize breaks out with a new, well-armed competitor. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 4 | August 12, 2021 | Listen | 1:10:21 |
As one crisis interrupts another, the Dreams of Deborah’s plucky crew must weigh their priorities. A Brinarr precariously teeters on the brink of death. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 5 | August 19, 2021 | Listen | 1:16:50 |
Our three intrepid Etherseafarers have survived their first gig, though, boy howdy, it was a close one. With Lux in hand, they go shopping for a gently used ship to call home. |
Undersea Interlude 1[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 6 | August 26, 2021 | Listen | 1:00:01 |
Our heroes take their new ship to a VERY familiar aftermarket vendor, tacking on a few much-needed improvements. We spend a bit of time talking character classes, and finally come up with a name for the crew’s new vessel! |
The Infinite Clam[]
The gang is hired by the Benevolent parish to track down a missing Benefactor Orlean.
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 7 | September 2, 2021 | Listen | 1:11:11 |
The newly employed crew of the Coriolis take on their first official job with the Bluespan Brokerage. Devo confronts his past as he crosses paths with the leaders of the Benevolent Parish. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 8 | September 9, 2021 | Listen | 1:05:10 |
The Coriolis is visited by an inscrutable little guy whose name definitely does not appear on the manifest. They reach their destination in the Phytal Flats, and then things go very south, very quickly. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 9 | September 16, 2021 | Listen | 1:11:57 |
The heroes fend off a curious lionfish while getting their bearings within a curious bivalve. A slapdash infiltration brings them face-to-face with the Super Captain. We all love the Super Captain! | |||
Ethersea – Episode 10 | September 30, 2021 | Listen | 1:05:49 |
A surprising revelation about their enlarged environment sends Amber on a trip down memory lane. Unstable energies further discombobulate the Coriolis crew’s sense of scale. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 11 | October 7, 2021 | Listen | 1:02:30 |
The crew of the Coriolis approach the anomaly that has trapped them in their current bivalve environ. Amber takes a dive. Devo exercises surprising restraint. Zoox experiences a metaphysical identity crisis. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 12 | October 14, 2021 | Listen | 1:04:57 |
Amber, Devo and Zoox face off against foes both tangible and cerebral, within and without, ancient and new. The Infinite Clam’s power is harnessed at great cost. |
Undersea Interlude 2[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 13 | October 21, 2021 | Listen | 1:01:40 |
With their first proper mission under their belt, the crew of the Coriolis attempt a series of negotiations with mixed results. A night at the Cloaca forges new friendships, while morning at the Gills forges new ... enemyships. |
The Abyssal Auction[]
The gang is hired by Ol' Joshy to attend a clandestine auction.
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 14 | October 28, 2021 | Listen | 53:41 |
The crew of the Coriolis take on a new mission, one that exchanges the slimy hazards of enormous mollusks for the slimy hazards of good old-fashioned capitalism. Let’s have a money fight! | |||
Ethersea – Episode 15 | November 4, 2021 | Listen | 1:20:50 |
After an unfortunate journey, the Coriolis arrives at a fancy, clandestine deep sea auction house. Time to do what exactly one-third of this party is good at: Shmoozing the room. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 16 | November 11, 2021 | Listen | 1:00:24 |
Let the money fight commence! As our turquoise heroes bid to claim their quarry, their opponents move against them, mostly because of the many terrible impressions they made in the previous episode. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 17 | November 18, 2021 | Listen | 56:28 |
Following a tense exchange of money and merchandise, all heck has broken loose. Can the auction’s bidders survive an assault from within — and without? | |||
Ethersea – Episode 18 | November 25, 2021 | Listen | 1:13:14 |
The Coriolis crew collect their winnings — among other things — and begin their extraction from a doomed deep sea marketplace. A slight complication: The deep sea marketplace is trying to doom them as well. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 19 | December 2, 2021 | Listen | 57:33 |
With the auction house’s security systems thwarted, the facility’s survivors attempt a hasty retreat. Zoox does what Zoox does best: Networking with unidentified, dangerous sea life. |
Undersea Interlude 3[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 20 | December 9, 2021 | Listen | 59:15 |
The crew of the Coriolis returns from another pseudo-successful mission to gather up their earnings. Unknown collateral damage surfaces, and initiates a series of most unfortunate events. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 21 | December 16, 2021 | Listen | 1:16:35 |
Zoox, Devo and Amber take care of some personal business before the start of their next mission. Zoox learns about his birthday. Amber catches up with an old friend. Devo secures an unexpected modeling contract. |
Cambria's Call[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 22 | January 7, 2022 | Listen | 1:03:38 |
A once-vanquished threat descends upon Founder’s Wake, shaking the city’s fragile foundation to its core. A lost hero is called back into action. A voice beckons from beneath the ocean’s floor. The Coriolis crew gets sidelined. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 23 | January 13, 2022 | Listen | 1:12:20 |
Founder’s Wake has been transformed. As Devo and Amber adjust to their new piscine features, Finneas Cawl seeks to further reawaken his memories. A search for contraband reagents begins. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 24 | January 20, 2022 | Listen | 1:00:03 |
A completely unnecessary bar fight has broken out at an otherwise quiet marshland bar and grill. As Devo and Zoox clean up their mess, Amber chases down a former friend-turned-smuggler. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 25 | January 27, 2022 | Listen | 1:11:23 |
Amber, Devo and Zoox continue their wild swamp chase to track down Shret. Everyone prepares for a stroll down Memory Lane. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 26 | February 3, 2022 | Listen | 1:11:33 |
From the bottom of the sea, from the deepest reaches of Finneas Cawl’s mind, a voice beckons. Devo, Zoox and Amber cease to be – all in an effort to answer. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 27 | February 10, 2022 | Listen | 1:23:56 |
Cambria makes their intentions known as Finneas Cawl’s doomed voyage reaches a grisly end. Zoox does some long overdue soul searching. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 28 | February 17, 2022 | Listen | 1:20:11 |
The crew of the Coriolis search for every advantage they can get their hands on before challenging the entity at the bottom of the sea. A relic from a long lost empire is unearthed. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 29 | February 24, 2022 | Listen | 0:58:49 |
Following an unexpected encounter with Amber's sworn foe, the Coriolis arrives at Cambria's deep sea dwelling. Devo, Amber and Zoox whip up an unconventionally stealthy plan of attack. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 30 | March 3, 2022 | Listen | 1:08:15 |
Zoox, Devo and Amber finally go toe-to-toe with an ancient, evolutionary force, leaning on an uneasy alliance with The Biggest Baby to do so. |
The Menagerie[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea - Episode 31 | March 17, 2022 | Listen | 1:00:05 |
After a period of enjoying their newfound infamy, the crew of the Coriolis take on a mission to recover rare animals which have gone missing. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 32 | March 24, 2022 | Listen | 1:06:17 |
The Coriolis crew investigates the high-profile bovine burglary they’ve been tasked with solving, bringing them into dangers both interpersonal and spectral. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 33 | March 31, 2022 | Listen | 1:20:08 |
Devo, Zoox and Amber infiltrate the headquarters of the Crescendo, separately, and with varying levels of success. Devo goes undercover. Zoox boards a familiar vessel. Amber has an unexpected run-in with the wildlife. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 34 | April 7, 2022 | Listen | 1:15:59 |
The crew of the Coriolis has become just as endangered as the animals they’ve been tasked with recovering. Amber saddles up. Devo unmasks a mastermind. Zoox causes some collateral damage. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 35 | April 14, 2022 | Listen | 1:08:23 |
Team Coriolis deals with the aftermath of a rash and explosive decision. Zoox sifts through the wreckage. Amber gives ‘em the runaround. Devo confronts the man behind the curtain. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 36 | April 21, 2022 | Listen | 1:21:43 |
The Coriolis crew race to save the animals from a sinking ship. Amber takes up arms against the hunters. Zoox tests his communication skills. Devo gets some unexpected news. |
Undersea Interlude 4[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 37 | April 28, 2022 | Listen | 1:00:50 |
The Coriolis returns from its latest explosive outing, and its crew begins investigating the death of a Founder’s Wake icon. Needless to say, their search for justice rubs some people the wrong way. | |||
Ethersea – Episode 38 | May 20, 2022 | Listen | 1:13:30 |
Tensions are high after a spirited argument at the Cloaca. A shadowy figure on the periphery of the Coriolis’ view steps into the light, and reveals something that kinda resembles the truth. Also: Shopping! |
Benefactor's Folly[]
Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime |
---|---|---|---|
Ethersea – Episode 39 | May 26, 2022 | Listen | 1:13:06 |
The crew of the Coriolis, with Ballaster Kodira in tow, set off to hunt down Benefactor Orlean before his plans come to fruition. As is so often the case, they get thoroughly distracted along the way. | |||
Ethersea - Episode 40 | June 2, 2022 | Listen | 1:26:01 |
The Coriolis responds to an ear-splitting hail seemingly received from a familiar adversary. The Benefactor’s ruse is revealed, and only Zoox, Devo, Amber and Kodira can stop it. A trio of archnemeses make their final stand. |